Apparatus for cooking material



June11, 1935. v;wR1G'HT l .2,004,775

' APPARATUS FOR COOKING MATERIAL v V I Filed June 16, 1951 s sheets-Sheet 1 v. 'WRIGHT 2,004,775

APPARATUSYFOR COOKING MATERAL Filed June 16', 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 June l1, 1935.

Patented June 11, 1935 2,004,775

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS vFora COOKING- MATERIAL vineent Wright, Alameda, Calif.

Application June 16, 1931, Serial No. 544,857

Claims. (Cl. 53-6). I

My invention relates vto the cooking of food, Figure: 6 is a View similar to that shownr in and more yparticularly to that phase of the Figure 1, and illustrates a variant form of thev culinary art which deals with the roasting of apparatus for cooking material embodying my material. r invention; and f f 5l VIt is among the objects of my invention to pro- Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view-of the same; f51

vide apparatus for cooking material by means of taken in a plane indicatedby the line 1-1 of which; the maximum of tenderness and flavor is Figure 6. derived. Y In greater'detail, and referring particularly Another object of my invention is to provide to Figures l to 5, the apparatus for cooking ma- 10 apparatus of the character described which reterials embodying my invention, las appliedto ltr quireS but little attention during the Cooking OD- the processing of dried fruit, such as prunes, eration. comprises a suitable oven' inA whichA the material AnOther object 0f Inl' nVentOn inCllldeS the may l'beroasted For purposes of illustrationa provision, in apparatus of the character described, furnace 2, of brokwork or other suitable con- 0f IneafnSfOI Conserving and turning back t0 the struction, is shown; the furnace being supported 155' material SubStantally all 0f the J'UCSS released by a suitable foundation 3; A' casing 4 is built by the material during the' Cooking PI'OCGSS- into the furnace to provide an oven 6, and an Still anOtller Objet- 0f Inl nVentiOn S t0 DTO'- aperture 'l is provided in the forward Vwall 'of vide apparatus of the character described which the furnace Opening into the @Venv A nozyrea,y

Will redlle tOllgh meat t0 a' deliClOllS and tende-1 for injecting oil or other suitable combustible 20 Statey o into the iirebox 9, provides lmeans for tiring the f 'Ast/lll flllthel' Object Offmy inVentOn iS t0 PTO' furnace. The materials under combustion pass vide apparatus of the character described by upwardly about the sides 0f the Oven casing 4 means 0f which dried fruit, `Snn as PTU-nes, may andthe burnt gases are nally carried off bywa'y beprocessed to render them soft, palatable and of a, Suitame pue l! adjacent the upperY portions 25 extremelytasty. ofi-,he ful-magg Y The invention possesses other objects `and AS best Shown inpigures 1 andaa pam-v of features 0f advantage some of which With the rails I2, supported atone endby the furnace 2l foregoinazwn be Set forth in the following deand at the other end by suitable Standards" I3,

Scriptum 0f my invention It is t0 be understood are positioned adjacent the bottom of the oven 6` "05 v that I d0 not limit myself t0 this' disclosu11e of and are arranged to pass through the opening-'1 Species 0f my nVentOn aS I, may adopt Variant' and project outwardly of the furnace. Asuitempodments thereof Wlthm the Scope of the able carriage, comprising the end'plates |41 and' clalms- IES connected together by `the angle virons 11,1 is

Rfelrmg t0 the dlttWmgs provided, and is movably mounted on the rails Figure `1k is alongitudinal vertlcalsectlonal View 2 by the flanged Wheels M kThis carriage has, 0f tu@ apparatus for ,COQkug ,material embodying a length substantially equal to the length of Vthel mylnventlouoven, and vis adapted to move from aposition Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sect1ona1 view Within the Oven 'to a nstion Without The Solid 40 of thetappara'tus' taken in a' plane indicated by linesy in Figure l show theA carriage in thefrethe Ime 2 2 .)f Flgure lshO-Wmg the funlace tracted position, While `the dotted lines. indicate and oven door 1n end elevation,l and with portions the extended position of the carriage A suit; 0f the View broken away to disclose the construe' able eye le .secured to the forward plate 14er the ttgglueg lserlsjifllview taken' in a plane m carriage provides means lor inserting a hook vfor 45 dicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the extending Or-retmftmg, t e Carnage dl-,umconstruction As best shown in Figule 1, the forward end Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View plate I4 of the carriage 1s adapted to seat 1n a showing the catches for latching the drum door recess 2' p tovuedm the fotttatd Wau of the n the closed position 4fr irnace El, 1n the retracted` position ofthe car- 50 Figure 5 is a side View, partly Iin sectionand une@ Il l'frtllefl WerClS, `the forward endplate 0f, partly in elevation, showinga modified form of the carriage iS utllZed aS 21 d 001 q fOI the 0Venmy invention which is particularly applicable 1-,0 A similar recess 22 is provided 1n the forward v the roastingof comparatively largeunit portions Wall of the furnace adjacent the inside ofthe 5,5 Ofmaterial, such as meats. oven, in Whichthe rear end wall I6 of the car,- 5,5.-

.the furnace for clamping the door plate I4 closed in the retracted position of` the carriage.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 3, a receptacle is mounted on the Vcarriage for receiving the material to be cooked. This receptacle is preferably drum-shaped, and comprises the end disks 24 and 25 connected by the cylindrical wall 21. Means are provided for rotatably mounting the receptacle or drum on'the carriage, and

to this end a stub shaft 28is secured to the for-- ward end disk 24 of the drum; a boss 29 being provided for effecting a secure mounting. AAn aperture 3I is cut in the forward end plate I4 of the carriage, through which the shaft 28 is' adapted to project, and a collar 32 is provided on the endof the yshaft to hold it against inward movement. The journal for the shaft 28 is preff erably provided by the cradlek rolls 33 journaled on the end plate I4. Note Figure 2.

Y A butt'flang'ed stud 34 is secured to the rear end disk 26 ofthe drum and is journaled by cradlingits flange 36 in suitable rolls 31 journaled in the lrear plate I8 of the carriage. Note Figure 3. The outer end of the stud 34 is provided with suitable jaws 38 adapted to mesh with com# plementary jaws providedon the end of an axially aligned shaft 38; the shaft 39 being journaled in a bearing 4I secured to the rear wall of the furnace 2. A jaw .clutch is thus vprovided which isengaged when the carriage is within the oven, andwhich readily disengages to permit free movement of the carriage to the 'ex.

tended position.

f zMeans are provided for rotating the drum. A

suitable motor 42 isfmounted on the foundation 3adjacent the rear of the furnace 2, and is drivably connected with the shaft 39. The drive is preferably effected `by a chain belt 43 connecting a'sprocket 44 carried by the shaft 39 with a. second sprocket 46 journaled adjacent the motor 42; this latter sprocket being driven by VtheY motor through a suitable reduction gearing 41. The speed reduction from the motor to the drum is such that the .drum is rotated comparatively slowly.

v'A' door 48 is provided for passing the material to be cooked into the drum` VAs best shown in Figures 3 and' 4, portions are cut out' from the cylindrical wall 21, of the drum and are connected with the main body of the wall 21 by the hinge 49. A flange 5I is secured to the edges of thedoor 48 and is adapted to rest on 'the surface of "the wall 21 in a closed position ofthe door, so that atight fit is insured. A gasket'52 is preferably interposed vbetweenthe flange 5I andv thewall 21 tol make a water-tight joint. Means are also provided for latching the door in the closed position; For ,this purpose a pair of arched loops 53 are pivotally mounted on the free end ofk the door 48, and a pair of hooked levers 54 are pivotally mounted on the drum wall 21 for engaging the loops 53 to secure the door and draw itA tight in thev closedposition.

When it is desirable to introduce the prunes into the vdrum it is only necessary to extend the carriage and rotate the drum until the door 48 is adjacent the top. VBy now opening the door the prunes may be poured into the drum. When it is desired to remove the cooked material from It is thus seen that the the drum the carriage is extended and the drum rotated until the door is adjacent the bottom. By positioning a suitable container below the projecting portions of the railsA I2` the material will fall directly into the container when the door 48 is opened. f

Means are provided for holding the material to be cooked awayfrom the cylindrical wall 21 of the drum- When the material is of a comparatively small size, as in the case with-dried fruits such as prunes, the supporting means is preferably in the nature of'a'n inner wall. As best Y, shown in Figure 3, a plurality of spacing ribs 5B lare secured to the cylindrical wall 21 and the door 48, and are arranged to extend longitudinally of the drum. A strip 51 is secured to the inner edge of each rib; these strips being arranged in spaced relation to provide an inner wall having a plurality of slot-like apertures 58 opening into the space between the inner and outerrwalls of the drum. By building up the inner wall in this manner the structure doesnot' interfere with th opening and closing of the door 48. v v

When the prunes are placed in the drumthey will be supported by the inner wall, and when the `drum is rotated they will be turned overgand over vas they Vroll along the walL In` order to facilitate the removal of the prunes wheny the door 48 is opened afcurved plate 59 is positioned at eachend of the drumadjacent thersides of ythe door; the plates being `positioned'tocut out the sharp corners between the end s of they drum and the inner wall, so asto direct theprune's to the opening provi-ded by the door. f

, With theV above apparatus in mind, the'cooking or processing of a-dried fruit, such as prunes, is as follows: With the carriage in the extended position,l the furnace isA fired and the oven allowed to heat. While in the .extended position the door 48 of the drum is opened and a quantity of the dried prunes, say fifty pounds, is poured into the drum, together with a quantityof fluid, such as water. The amount'of water needed will depend upon ,thecharacter of the fruit. For fty pounds of ordinary dried prunes I have found-that a quart of wateris about the right'amount to get the proper results. l l

' When the prunes are introduced they will,` of course, be caught up and held by the ,inner wall of the drum, while the water will pass through and be held by the outer wall of the drum; it thus being seen that the lower portions of the drum provi-de a reservoir for the introduced uid, and that the prunesare supported above the'uid in the reservoir. When the ,temperature of the ovenhas reached a predetermined' maximum temperature, say about 250 F., the carriage vwiththe drum doork closed and in the latched positionis moved into the oven. started'so that thedrum will begin rotating'.

` After a. short interval of `time the flame is decreased so that the temperature of the oven drops to a predetermined cooking temperature, say aboutf200 F. `This maintainsthe water in the The motorl 42 is then drum at apoint just below its boilingl temperature. As the drum rotates the prunes turn over and. over as they roll along the inner wall,l and at the same times'the ribs orins 56 operate to continuously carry the water from the reservoir upwardly and deposit it on the upper portions of the prunes. "The vflavored juices which are released by the prunes during the cooking process mix with the wat-er in the reservoir, and this mixture is constantly being'poured'over the tumbling acca-'rre Since the entire -actionthus describeclw'takes` place` vvvitlrilir a closedg receptacle substantially :all of the'j-ufi'cesare conserved, and none ofthe flavors are lost.v Furthermore,- si-nce neither boiling lwater or' steam are util-ized; thel 'cooking or processing `is not a severeonev and the ski-nsof the prunesyare not broken. I` have found'thattliesprocessing of nity pou-nds of prunes'takes about hou-rs, after which time substantially all of the introduced water-andreleased juices are absorbed by the prunes. Processed inth-i-s manner; dried prunes bec-orne sof-t,- palatable' and-'delicious to..the taste. A modinc'ation-of amy invention, particularly adapted for cooking' meats, is` shown in Figure 5. This construction may convenientlyy be Vmade smaller and more compact than shown andi-described fonth'e processing 'of dried# fruit. The enti-re device m-ay-conveniently-be mounted- Within anoverr, and it isl contemplated that it be used in smal-ler establishments, such as in the home or in restaurants; the roaster being@ adapted for installation in the oven of an ordinary stove. The rca-sters maybe installed-'in the ovens of stoves already in-use, vor may be built in stoves when the latter are manufacturedu With reference to the gure above referred to,

the rooster comprises an open ended drum` 6I having'a ribbed annular lring 62 secured against its forward end. A bracket B3 is provided carrying a grooved roller Slt-adaptedv to engage the ribbed ring 82. Preferably-two such rollers areprovided, one-on each-side ofV the drum to form`r a cradle. A- shaft 6B is secured to the rearV end ofthe drum,l and is journaled-in a bearing bracket 61,; the brackets GSand- 6-1 being 'suitably secured to the bottom of an oven. .The shaft 'is'arranged to project through the rear end of-an oven, and' is connected with suitable meansfor rotating `the drum. The driving means-may 4conveniently -be of a type similar to tllatsh'oW-I-iA Figure 1.

The open end of the drum-is provided'withan inturned iiange S82' providing aseat foraZ de'- mountable cover or door ($91.v This doo-r is-shown as being built of aldeublethickness; oflrn'aterial; it'fbeing obvious however that thisy construction may bevaried. Al gasket; l l ispreferablyinterposed between the door and? the flange Eil-iso' that a Water-tight joint is insured.: `A spit "l2 is secured to thefcentral portions'o-f'the 'door G9, andis arranged-to project irl-tothe drumv 6l for? carrying the material; such as apiece of meat.' v

Sui-table latch meansare provided for clamping the door in the closed position.y For-this purpose a spring yoke i3 is provided andv isfpivotallly mounted on the drum 6 l When the door is to be opened this yoke maybe swung clearof the door, and wheny the 'door is'closed the yoke maybe moved into engagement-with aprojection 'M- extending outwardly from the central portions of the door. Pressure exerted by the'spring yoke 13 on the projection 'M serves tohold the door tightly closed.

spaced-Y around the drum and suitably secured to the inner side of its cylindrical wall are a plurality of ribs or fins 'i6v of a `character similar to the ribs 56 described in connection with the drum shown in Figure 3. These ns are provided for carrying a uid from the lower portionsof the drum to a point above the material being cooked.

With this apparatus in mind the method of cooking is similar to that described in connection with the processing of prunes. Brieythe method -isa's-foll'owst With the demountable "cove-nor door fremovedvarnd the oven door closed; the oven is al-lovved toreacl-ia predetermined ima-Xi'- mum-temperature, say about 2505 The oven door' is then' opened andv a quantity of iiu-id-, such as Water, poured into the bottom of the drum Gl. The--di-uincover 63?, with the. meat or other 4.materialto beroasted supported by the spit 12',

is-thenv seated over-'the end of the drum-v and clamped in place by the latch yoke T3. After 'these operations have been'ccmple'tedthe ovendcor is again .closed andthe shaft @6. rotated to revolve the drum.

"The temperature-of the oven is then allowed to drop to a;` predetermined cooking temperature, say around-299J0 F.- As the drunrrotates the spit l2 carrying the meat is-al'so rotated to con'- 4tinuously turn the meat. At'the same time; the

fins-'idr carry the fluid upwardly from the reservoir in the bottom of the drum and depositthe same on thev upper portion of the meat. `Asf the meat begins to roast the released juices. drop down and mix-With the iiuid at thefbottoin of the drum; the nns l@ operating to continuously baste the-meat with this mixture. constantly turning, all portions of the same -are broughtnnder the influence of the basting fluid.

While- 200 has been set forth as the cooking temperature, it is to be noted-that this temperature may be varied, depending upon the nature and character of the meat or other' food being cooked,4

Figures 6 and 7 'illustrate anothervariant-iorzn of the apparatus for cooking material embodying' ymy invention, also adapted-particularly for the processing of dry 'f1-uit, such as prunes. This ernbodirnent of the apparatusv diners Vfro-rn 'that shown in Figure l by having a drum "H permanently positioned within the oven E. The drum isrotatabl-y-mounted Within the oven; and means, preferably similarto that' shown-in Figure `l,- are provided-forrotating the drum.`

The forward end of the drurnis supported -byl Since the meat is a a pair of cradle rolls lil :engaging a'ribbed annular ring 'lflicarried by the drum. The rolls 'l' are jcmrnaledv `in the bearing bracket 6| Vmounted-on. acpi-tablel crossbar 82 ii-Xedad'jacent the bottomof the-oven. 6r A shaft 83-secured tothe rear end ofthe drum 'il' passesthrough-therear wall bracket; the sprocket 44o-f thef'driving means -ot thev furnace'Z and is journaledlin a bearing i beingsecured to the projecting end of the-shaft A-"door 85; vpreferably `hinged toY the `forti/arci wall of the furnace 2, is pro-vided for closing the aperture l'openi-ng into the oven. A suitable-latch 8l! is providedfor holding the door kin the closed position. The forward end of the drum l? is positioned sothat'by opening the oven door 86 the openV end-of the drum isexposed. An in-v turned iiange Sil-.is provided at the forward end of the drum-fil, and a door flfis hingably mounted on the forward end of the drinn towprovide ay cover `for its openiend. A gaskety 9"! arranged between the drum door 51 and the drutn flange 83 is preferably provided to insure a-tight joint between these parts, and a suitable latch 92 is provided ior holding the drum door in the closed position.

A plurality of ribs or fins 93 are disposed about equal to the drum opening, so that the'container n may be readily slid to a position within the drum, and, when in that position, be supported by the ribs 93.

A suitable cover 98 is provided for the container. The cover may conveniently be of a cup-shape adapted to seat over the forward end ring 96 of the' container. A slot 99 provided in the rim of the cover, adapted toenga'ge a pin l IUI fixed von the container rings 96, conveniently provides means for holding the lcover in the closed position. Suitable pins |02 are alsoprovided in the rear end of the drum 11, and are adapted to engage suitable apertures 4provided in therear container ring 96 to insure rotation of the inner container when the drum 11 is rotated.

When it is desired to introduce the Ymaterial to be cooked into the drum 11 it is only necessary to place the material in the removable container. When the material is finally cooked, withdrawal of the inner container operates to remove the material from the drum. The removable container feature of this form of apparatus embodying my invention not only facilitates the handling 'of the material being cooked, but also assists in the cleaningv of the apparatus; it being understood that the removable container may readily be hosed or Washed in demounted position.

The uniform basting, together with the fact that the food is constantly turning and is'not actually immersed in the basting fluid, insures regular and even cooking. Furthermore, since the turning, basting and cooking processes take place in a closed receptacle none of the flavors in the food are lost. The amount of Water orig-l inally introduced with the food and the duration of the cooking process depends largely on the size, character and quality of the meat or .other material being roasted. The cooking however iscarried forward until substantially all of the added water together with the released juices are absorbed bythe food; the result being that the maximum of tenderness and-flavor is derived.

I.k claim: I Y K 1. In'a cooking apparatus, a cylinder, means for rotatably mounting said cylinder to turn about Va horizontal axis, internal ribs extending longitudinally of said cylinder and projecting radially from walls thereof in spaced relation to each other circumferentially of the cylinder and flanges extending along free side edges of. said ribs whereby material placed Within the cylinder will be held in spaced relation to its walls and the flanged ribs serve to carry basting fluid upl wardly from the lower portion of thevcylinder and dump the fluid at the upper portion thereof, during rotation of the, cylinder."`

'f 2. Ina cooking apparatus, a cylinder having an annular vwall and heads yat its ends, means for rotatably'mounting said cylinder to turny about itsrlongitudinal axis, ribs extending longitudinally in said cylinder ,between its heads and projecting radially'from"l its annular wall, said ribs being spaced from each other circumferentially of the cylinder and having transverse flanges along their free inner side edges serving to hold material inthe cylinder spaced from the annular wall and constituting dippers for carrying basting fluid upwardly from the lower portion of the cylinder during rotation thereof and means for yimparting rotary motion to the cylinder.

' 3. In a cooking apparatus, a cylinder, means for" rotatably mounting the cylinder to turn about a horizontal axis, ribs extending `longitudinally in said cylinder andy disposed radially thereof, said ribs having transverse flanges along their freeside edges, the cylinder being openat one end, a door movable into andout of closing relationA to the open end of. said cylinder, and a foraminous article holder of cylindrical formation slidable into and out of said cylinder through the open end thereof and when in place within the cylinder having its walls contacting with the flanges of lsaid ribs. f I

4. In a cooking apparatus, an ovenhopendat its front, a carriage slidable into and out of the oven throughrthe front opening. thereof, plates at inner and outer ends of said carriage and alternately serving as closures for the front open# ing when the carriage'is slid into and out of the ovengga: cylinder extending longitudinally of said carriage and having shafts at its ends journaled through the plates to rotatably mount the cylin-I der and means -for rotating said cylinder includ- Y ing` a shaftjournaled through the rear wall of ythe oven and engageable with the rear shaft'of the cylinder when the carriage is within the oven.

5. In a cooking apparatus, an oven openat its front, a carriage slidable into and out of the oven through the frontopening thereof, plates at innerkand outer ends of said carriage and al-l ternately serving as closures for the front opening when the carriage is slid into and out ofthe oven, a cylinder extending longitudinally of said carriage and having shafts at its ends journaled through the plates .to rotatably mount the cylinder, means for imparting rotary motion to said cylinder when the cylinder is Within the oven, said cylinder havingk an entrance opening in its annular wall, a door for closing the entrance opening,` ribs carried by vsaid door and the annular wall of said cylinder and disposedy radially of the cylinder and deector platesextending at an incline between heads of the cylinder and ends of the entrance opening for directing material out of the cylinder through the opening.

VINCENT WRGHT. 

